Lewes RFC

Sun 29 Sep 2024, 11:00

Uckfield U15s

21 - 33

Lewes RFC U15M

Uckfield U15s

Lewes RFC U15M

The Lewes Lions U15s played away on Sunday in their first league 2 match of the season against Uckfield. For the first time they were proudly playing under the team title of the Lewes Lions Warriors.

All the players were looking forward to the intensity of their first league match and were eager to put the skills they had developed over the summer to the test against an Uckfield pack with a significant size advantage.

Lewes were caught napping in the first 11 seconds of the half as Uckfield were able to slip through the Lewes defensive line at the wing, putting the first scores on the board at 7:0 with a successful conversion.

Lewes immediately came back into the match and for the next fourteen minutes put Uckfield under pressure in their 22. Lewes were able to maintain a disciplined attack formation and mounted numerous phases and dominated in lineouts and scrums. When Uckfield were able to mount attacks into the Lewes half, the defensive line held and a combination of kicks to safety and a solid defensive line prevented Uckfield from extending their lead further.

Finally, Lewes were able to get some quick ball from a scrum in Uckfield’s 22 and the ball was taken over the line by Harvey Brown, after an assist from Logan Wood. With a conversion this levelled the scores.

Uckfield quickly came back from this score and began to put Lewes under pressure, making greater gains on the line and instigating key turnovers in the ruck. After five minutes of phases, with Lewes finding themselves pushed back into their 22, Uckfield were able to cross the line for a second time and with a conversion put the score at Uckfield 14, Lewes 7.

Lewes were determined to not allow Uckfield to further extend their advantage before half time and continued to mount extended phases, using tactical game play between forwards and backs. This ensured they were parked in the Uckfield 22 for the remainder of the half. Unfortunately, Lewes were not able to convert this pressure into points and the half ended with Uckfield still 7 points ahead. 

Lewes began the second half determined to follow their game plan and put Uckfield under continued pressure in their own 22. Uckfield had a scrappy start, kicking the ball into the Dead Ball Zone, followed by Lewes electing to take a scrum on the half way line. Unfortunately, after some great play by Lewes on the half way line, Uckfield were able to make an unexpected interception and carry the ball over the Lewes line, with a conversion, this put the score at Uckfield 21, Lewes 7.

Many teams would have dropped their heads at this point, but Lewes had the confidence to know that they still had enough “fuel in the tank” and time to change the outcome of the match. Over the next four minutes they were relentless in both attack and defence and they were able to push Uckfield back onto their own try line. After an excellent push through the Uckfield defence, Laurie Blomfield was able to pass the ball out the back of the ruck to Rupert Collins, who attacked the Uckfield defence at pace from the 22 and powered across the line. With a failed conversion, this put the scores at Uckfield 21, Lewes 12.

After this sustained and organised attack Lewes still looked fresh, while the Uckfield defensive line began to buckle under another sustained set of well organised phases. After a huge ten minutes of pressure, Lewes were again able to cross the Uckfield line, with Laurie Blomfield battering through the Uckfield pack following some great work by Wood. With a successful conversion this put the score at Uckfield 21, Lewes 19 with under 15 minutes of the half remaining.

The Lewes pack were now determined to maintain momentum and the whole team stepped up through the gears in both attack and defence, sensing that another quick score was possible. With ten minutes of the half remaining, Finn Simmonds crossed the line for Lewes, and with a successful conversion Lewes were able to take the lead in the match for the first time with the scores at Lewes 26, Uckfield 21.

Lewes knew that they had to now dig deep and get further scores on the board to prevent Uckfield from stealing victory in the last minutes of the match. For the final five minutes they were again relentless, trapping Uckfield in their 22 with numerous phases run by forwards and backs to move the gain line closer to the Uckfield try line. Any possession achieved by the Uckfield pack was quickly rucked over and taken forward again. In the last two minutes of the half, Simmonds again crossed the line after some superb phases which battered the Uckfield Defence. With a successful conversion, this put the score out of reach of Uckfield at Lewes 33, Uckfield 21.  

The coaching staff were immensely proud of the grit and determination demonstrated by all the Lewes players who will have gained a huge amount of confidence from this first league result. The squad are now looking forward to their first away League 1 match against Chichester next Sunday.